Putney New South Wales Revisited
Hugh Thompson returns to our namesake in the southern hemisphere
Hugh having a g'day and the Putney Beach that wasn't developed
May 1, 2024
Last week Hugh Thompson, Putney Society vice president, on his annual trip to see his daughter and grandsons in Sydney, made his regular trip to see Putney in New South Wales.
Travelling on the very sleek Rivercat under the Harbour Bridge and up the Parramatta river he returned to see the urban village.
He says, “Here the web sites show this prosperous little community has over the last year made headlines with its bowling club closing, its beach not being developed and its primary school winning a state art prize. Our own Putney with its car crime, occasional murder and foul air quality is a regular Gomorrah in comparison. But then we are part of a metropolis while our namesake is a suburb of the small town of Ryde.
“You get off the boat at Kissing Point the stop before the Olympic Park. You go past the beach and the park and walk the mile up the wide Charles Street to the village centre. While there are several places you can eat there is nowhere to buy groceries.
“Its biggest stores are the garage and the liquor shop. It hasn’t even got a resident estate agent, all the action is in two miles away Ryde, where you can also catch the train to six miles away Sydney. Charles Street has almost totally got rid of the classic Australian bungalows and replaced them with two story, glass fronted, pillar dominated, double garage haciendas which underline the blue chip status and aspirations of the village.
Putney High Street Australia
“Typically while having my steak sandwich and glass of chardonnay at the Patio of Putney I got talking to some firefighters having a leisurely lunch time break. Nothing serious recently, a few false alarms, a couple of bbques catching light, a chip pan fire and a cat in a tree . Three years ago, a house burnt down.
Under the Harbour Bridge to the Kissing Point pier
“While chatting, a couple of flies invaded my glass, no worries said charming waitress Kate from Galway and immediately replaced my drink. So, as she suggested I had a g’day. So laid back.
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